The Forgotten Ones Remembered.

Dear friends and readers,

Peace and grace to you and your families in the name of JESUS CHRIST.

Well, the holidays are over - - - whoops, I almost fell into the thinking of the world. After all, we all have to be "politically correct" don't we? So, let's start out by SCRATCHING "Happy Holidays" and from my family to yours - we hope you had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and that you were able to remember that the real reason for the season is Jesus Christ.

We have been very busy, in fact, on a recent trip to Israel we covered 18,000 miles in 5 weeks. For that reason, I'm a little bit behind. :-)

This week's article is entitled "The Forgotten Ones Remembered". It is written by my wife, best friend and ministry partner, Brandy. Enjoy.

Pastor Rance

Oh, how my heart is glad in the Lord!!!

I wanted to share with you about what happenend today at our Christmas party for what I call the "Forgotten Ones". A very special church to us, Crossorads Community Church in Chowchilla, California has been sending Christmas gifts to us faithfully for years to give to the poor here in Mexico. These boxes are made with love, care and the heart to share Jesus Christ with the children and families who receive them. To this day, Crossroads has not been able to come to Mexico to experience firsthand the joy of this season, even though their hearts are to do just that, but yet every year, faithfullly, their church family makes these gifts and sends them down to us to give out as the Lord leads us. This faithfulness has spoken so deeply to our hearts over the years.

As you know, for years when Rance pastored IDT, the Lord bountifully blessed us with shoebox gifts every year. Some years we even received as many as 3,500! I remember our first year when God began sending the gifts through Chrisitans in the U.S.A., we were so excited! That was way back in 1994. I can share with you story after story about Christmas gift outreaches, faces, families, and stories that would rip your heart out. Here we are in 2010 and still, the power of love during this season never ceases to amaze me. This year Rance & I received about 30 boxes from this church, so we prayerfully asked the Lord what HE would have us do with them. IDT still receives many boxes and it's such a blessing to know the many churches and families who are blessed through these gifts! They work very hard to make sure that the local church lists and needy children's hearts are met.

This year, knowing that our portion would be around 30, I felt that the Lord had to have a very special 30 kids in mind. So as I prayed, I felt that the focus this year was to be on children who would not be a part of any Christmas outreach. Children whose parents don't go to church. Children whose parents can't afford gifts. Children who don't live in Christ centered homes. This is what my heart was burdened for, and I shared this with my friend and sister, Maria.

Maria actually is much more than a friend and sister. Maria has been working with me for 11 years now, helping me with Santiago and my home 3 days a week. Miraculously, although financially tight most of the time, the Lord has enabled us to help her as she helps us. Without Maria, I don't know how we could have done what we have done ministerially over the years. More than that, Maria has become one of my closest friends and has faithfully been there more times than I could count. And best of all Santiago loves her and her kids and grandkids, all of whom are his sisters and brothers.

Maria and her husband Tomas are from Oaxaca, and have raised 8 children here in Baja. He is a driver for one of the local ranches. All their kids are field workers. I have encouraged her to write her story, because it is one that needs to be told. We met Maria in 1994 when I began giving Bible Studies in the campo Rancho Nuevo. I am sharing all this because this leads up to what happened today, and if I didn't share the background, you wouldn't understand the full impact of why today was so special to us.

No one in Maria's family has ever had an education past the 6th grade or Jr. High School. Except her youngest 3 daughters, Yessinia, Yanet and Mariela. Not only did they all graduate from high school, but all 3 are in college in Ensenada. Truly, this is a miracle. Yessinia is studying to be a doctor, Yanet a psychologist and Mariela, a nurse. (Although Mariela's dream was to be a veterarian, but that's another story). They share an apartment together in Ensenada, are committed to not dating (none of them ever have, and they are 18, 20 & 21) until they graduate college, they are plugged in to a solid Bible teaching church in Ensenada that is focused on reaching out to the needy (like prostitutes and abused children) and sharing the Gospel. These young ladies, who although are truly set apart, grew up with tremendous struggles and all odds against them. Now to witness where they are in their lives, is only by God's grace.

Fast forward.

So, Maria and I had the same heart to do something for kids who are tucked away, forgotten and who would not be a part of an outreach. Maria offered her house to have a get together, and from there - the Lord began giving she and her girls a vision for today. This all came together in the last week. Because Maria knows where these kids are, she began making the invitation list of those who she knew for sure fit in this category.

I had suggested to Maria that her 3 girls do all the organizing and working with the kids. (They are home on Christmas break from college). (At the time I didn't understand why, I normally do all that, but TODAY I REALIZED WHY GOD GUIDED ME IN THAT DECISION.) A couple of days ago I went to her house and taught them how to bake and decorate Christmas cookies. Then they took off with it! I brought all the shoebox gifts to her house and she and her girls put the children's names correspondingly on the boxes, and invited them to come to her house today at 1:00.

In the past few days, Santiago and I got sick, so I couldn't be as much help as I had wanted, so bascially I just showed up with my camera! The Lord certainly knew.

BUT GOD. What a master planner He is!

I arrived about 1:15, and all the kids and some of their moms were already there. (Unheard of in Mexico) :-) They had them all sitting on a tarp in Maria's yard and they were having a drawing contest with paper and crayons. The challenge was "who can draw the best picture that describes what Christmas really is". I WAS FLABBERGASTED. Oh the excitement! Then, they played several other games including a balloon popping dance, and a sack race (with white plastic garbage sacks - priceless). Then, they passed out the Christmas cookies Mariela and Maria had made, and oh, the order!!!! No screaming, pushing, etc... all of them so well behaved and excited to be there, the Lord used the girls to bring such order and excitment all at the same time! They gave prizes to all the winners They sang & taught the kids songs about Jesus, with hand motions, and all of them got involved, even the pre-teen boys which was amazing. Then they fed everyone simple sandwiches and sodas and ... I don't know how to explain this... just watching the thankfulness in their eyes brought me to tears. You see, I remember years and years ago, Yessinia, Yanet and Mariela were those same little girls as we gave Christmas parties and outreaches back when they were the ages of these kids... and now... here they are, they are now the ones teaching the Christmas story, sharing the love of Christ, giving back all they received... all on their own. All these years later, it was these same little girls who are young women now themselves, it was they who organized this outreach, and did it - all by themselves. How can I put into words what my heart is feeling right now?

I can't.

I am filled with gratitude. Overwhelmed with joy. And so incredibly thankful that Jesus was born, lived and died, to give us eternity with Him and those who will put their trust in Him. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone, and may the Lord bless you with the way of surrender in 2011.

And to those of you from Crossroads Community Church in Chowchilla reading this - GOD BLESS YOU AND THANK YOU WITH ALL OUR HEARTS. If you'd like to see more photos, please click on to my facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=255293&id=520547917

Brandy (& Rance & Santiago Cook, of course!)

Servants of the King

Vicente Guerrero, Baja Mexico

p.s. I just talked to Rigo, a friend of ours who helps Rance here at our home. He had given Maria and I four names of little kids who he knew would not be receiving any gifts. Tonight, he told me the following that broke my heart. He said thank you so much for the gifts for these 4 children, they have NEVER received a gift in their lives, their parents are so poor they have never had enough money to buy gifts for their kids. (ages 3-12). He said one of the kids, I think the oldest one, after receiving the invitation, was SO EXCITED she couldn't sleep at all the night before. He said she couldn't even imagine what is was going to be like receiving a Christmas gift. (!!!!!) Lord Jesus. This is the heart of this ministry during Christmas - to bring the Love Of The Ultimate Gift to these little ones. LORD, YOU ARE SO GOOD...

From Pastor Rance:

It occurs to me as I read this article that there may be some of you who are wondering whether or not "your little contribution" for the Lord's work may really mean anything. Does anyone remember the story of the "widows mite" in the Bible?

Roughly 18 years ago, my wife preached the Gospel to a bunch of little girls who were living in cardboard and plastic huts with dirt floors, no sanitation, many without shoes and socks and most going to bed at night without a proper meal. These are the very same little girls who have grown into Godly women, in college, and are now preaching the Gospel themselves to other little children, many of whom are living in horrible conditions. What my wife did was the widow's mite. I want to encourage each of you to remember that even though you may have doubts in yourself, to God who sees you in vastly different ways, you are incredibly important. Your labor is not in vain. Have a happy new year, in Jesus name.

Pastor Rance.